The present invention relates generally to cable supports. More specifically, it relates to a cable support system having an adjustable number of rungs which are made of a non-conductive material and which are capable of being individually added and removed from the system.
In the past, various types of cable supports systems have been used to support cables for connecting or interconnecting computer and telephone communications equipment within a facility. Modern buildings contain extensive cable support systems for this purpose. It is common in these support systems to use non-enclosed cable supports so cables may be easily added, removed or re-routed to support changes in physical layout or systems to be connected. Due to the rapid change in the number, nature and complexity of communication systems, a cable support system that is versatile, reconfigurable and inexpensive is highly advantageous to allow quick modification of cable plants.
Past attempts at cable support systems do not provide the versatility necessary to support a constantly changing cable plant. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,220 discloses a cable support system in which two parallel side supports are permanently attached to opposite ends of several spaced apart rungs, similar to a ladder laid flat. The assembly is then typically supported from a ceiling or attached to walls above a work area and the cables are then laid across and supported by the rungs. Diagonal rungs support cables routed between these other rungs to reach an area below the cable support. However, the cable support disclosed in the ""220 patent does not allow for easy reconfiguration of the cable support system after it has been installed. For example, sections of cable support that need to be changed to intersect with new sections of cable support must be cut to provide for the intersection. This is very time intensive, particularly if a large number of heavy cables on the cable support must be temporarily-supported while the cuts are made. Alternatively, multiple cable supports arranged in different planes may be added. However, this tends to create a labyrinth of cables that are difficult to later add to or remove. Additionally, the cable support system of the ""220 patent uses metal side supports and rungs. Constant rubbing of the wires by these metal components can cause chaffing of the cable insulation and short-circuiting of the cable conductors.
Cable support systems are known which implement channels and rungs similar to the present invention. However, these prior art rungs were previously milled from a rigid polyethylene. So made, the rungs could not be added or removed from the channel by resiliently deforming the rung to xe2x80x9csnapxe2x80x9d it on or off. Instead, the rung had to be installed by sliding it over the end of the channel. This did not allow the rungs to be added or removed after the channel and rung had been put in place and, therefore, was not a satisfactory replacement for prior systems such as that disclosed in the ""220 patent.
Among the features disclosed in this patent application is the provision of a cable support comprising a support member and a plurality of rungs. The rungs are made of a resilient, nonconductive material, each rung having an upper section capable of supporting one or more of the cables and a lower section for detachably securing the rung. The support member is of non-circular shape in section and extends through at least a portion of the facility for supporting the rung. The lower section of each rung is naturally biased to a configuration that engages the outer surface of the support member so the lower portion of a rung can be deformed into shapes that allow it to installed and removed from the support member without the need for other fasteners and without affecting other rungs installed thereto.